Think of tech tools as the “secret sauce” to growing a successful business. Whether you’re a startup or have been in the game for 20 years, these 4 tech tools can help take your small business to the major leagues:
CRM Platforms
If you don’t think your business could benefit from CRM software, think again. One of the top tech tools you can employ in the growth of your business, Customer Relationship Management Software helps you get organized and keep track of contacts, give you a comprehensive overview of sales performance, and is key to marketing segmentation and personalization. When you’re shopping for a CRM platform, look for things like:
- Affordability—cost efficient options are king in the small business and startup world. Make every penny count by choosing a budget-friendly option. Some of the best CRM platforms, like HubSpot, don’t cost have to cost an arm and a leg.
- Customer Support—choosing a system that offers robust customer support, like Zoho CRM, is essential for SMBs that don’t have large tech support teams.
- Easy to Learn—as a small business owner you likely don’t have tons of time to spend learning the ins and outs of a new system. Choose one that’s “out-of-box” like Salesforce.
- One That Integrates Well—If you’re already using other tools to manage your business, make sure the CRM platform you choose integrates well like Base CRM—the results will be worth it.
- Customization—Decide whether you want a tool that’s standard, but ready to go or customizable to your each and every need. We love Insightly and Apptivo for their customization options. We love Insightly for its customization ability.
Analytics
Another top tech tool we love is analytics. Nowadays, customers are all too quick to switch brands or products due to a bad customer experience. However, with analytics, there is no excuse not to deliver individualized and exceptional experiences to keep your customers coming back time and time again. By implementing data analytics you can improve your customer experience by:
- Anticipating customer needs
- Delivering relevant services and products
- A highly personalized experience
- Increased efficiency and targeting customer pain points
If you’re thinking that applying data analytics to your operation is going to cost you, don’t worry! There are tons of free tools to help you refine your customer experience like Google Analytics, MixPanel, and social media insights.
Marketing Automation
Marketing automation helps businesses grow. There are only so many hours in a day and marketing automation helps you do more with less. Here are a few reasons marketing automation is one of the tech tools we love for fueling growth:
- Campaign Data—we already touched on analytics to shape the customer experience, but you also need analytics to measure your campaign success, track email performance, and prove ROI
- Personalized Messaging—I don’t know if we’ll ever be done talking about the importance of personalization. Your competitive advantage over large enterprises is your ability to personalize effectively! Personalizing your marketing messages is a way to stand out among the noise in your marketing space.
- Increased Client Retention—loyal customers are so incredibly valuable. According to research done by Frederick Reichheld of Bain & Company, increasing customer retention by just 5% increases profits by 25% to 95%. Don’t get so caught up chasing new leads that you forget about your existing customers. They are where the money is.
Some marketing automation tools we love include Swiftpage, ActiveCampaign, and Ontraport.
A Good Website
One tech tool you can’t live without is a good website. It’s where customers go to find out who you are, what you’re about, and basic information about your business. If a customer can’t successfully navigate your website, the chances they’ll actually buy something from you are pretty slim. But, come on guys, putting together a great website really isn’t that hard and it’s easier and more affordable than ever!
If you’re on a budget, WordPress is a great option. In fact, it’s one of the most popular web platforms out there with over 30% of all websites running off of WordPress, including big brand names like Facebook and Vogue. With the exception of domain and hosting expenses, you can essentially run a completely functional site for free.
Looking for something really elegant? Look no further than Squarespace. Designed specifically for businesses who want to focus on visual content, Squarespace gives you access to over 40 million high-quality images to incorporate into your site. Having a gorgeous site on Squarespace will put you back a few more dollars, but having an aesthetically pleasing and functional website makes it all worth it.
If your customers conduct most of their business with you on a mobile device, consider a platform that’s optimized for just that. While Duda is at the high end of the price range, their mobile-friendly templates and the ability to create your sight in multiple languages is invaluable.
